This invention relates to a controller mounting structure for detachably mounting a controller on a vehicle, and more particularly to a controller mounting structure including connecting terminals provided on both sides of a controller and a vehicle mounted type equipment to which the structure is applied.
Recently, electronic equipments of the vehicle mounted type such as a mounted type acoustic equipment and the like have been diversified and improved in quality and function, resulting in occurrence of a serial problem that the equipments are frequently stolen.
In order to solve the problem, an antitheft device is proposed which is constructed so as to previously store a secret identification code in the equipment, to thereby keep the equipment non-operative unless a code input thereto coincides with the identification code.
Such a typical antitheft device which has been conventionally used for this purpose is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 105738/1987 and generally constructed in such a manner as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. More particularly, the conventional antitheft device includes operation keys 200 through which the storing of an identification core and the inputting of a code are carried out. Also, the device includes an indicator 202 for displaying a code input thereto and a control block 204 for comparing the input code with the stored identification code, as well as a diode switch 206 adapted to indicate the identification code through an ON/OFF combination and driven directly by a battery 208. The so-constructed conventional antitheft device, as shown in FIG. 2, requires a code to be input only when a back-up power is cut off.
The conventional antitheft device constructed as described above prevents the stored identification code from being canceled or erased even when a power supply is cut off, because the identification code is stored using the diode switch 206. Also, the conventional device judges that an equipment is stolen when the equipment is detached from a vehicle to cause the back-up power to be cut off and merely requires the identification code to be input only when the equipment is then turned on again for activation. Thus, the device eliminates the necessity of inputting the identification code every time when the equipment is activated, resulting in the operability being improved.
However, the conventional antitheft device is complicated in construction, to thereby cause the manufacturing cost to be highly increased. Also, the use of an identification code is widely carried out in various fields, leading to troubles such as confusion between identification codes, forgetfulness of identification codes and the like. Thus, there is a fear that even an owner would fail to operate the antitheft device and therefore the equipment.
In order to avoid the disadvantage of the device, such an electronic equipment of the vehicle mounted type as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 26884/1989 is proposed, which is constructed as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.
More particularly, the proposed equipment includes an inner casing 210 in which a body 212 of the equipment is removably received. The equipment also includes a handle 214 pivotally movably arranged on the front surface of the body 212 through a connection member 216, so that the equipment body 212 may be removed from the inner casing 210 by pivotally moving the handle 214 in the forward direction and forward pulling the body 212 through the handle 214.
Such construction of the equipment permits the equipment body 212 to be carried by hand when a user gets away from a vehicle on which the equipment is mounted. Also, the proposed equipment is simplified in internal circuit construction, to thereby keep the manufacturing cost at a low level. Also, it escapes from the above-described disadvantages due to the use of an identification code.
Nevertheless, the equipment has a disadvantage that it is highly troublesome to remove the equipment body 212 from the vehicle for only the antitheft purpose and the carrying of the equipment body is a burden to a user because it is considerably weighty, resulting in the equipment failing to cause the user to recognize its usefulness or availability. Thus, the user generally gets away from the vehicle while keeping the equipment body 212 received in the inner casing 210, to thereby cause an opportunity of theft of the equipment to be rather increased.
A controller mounting device or structure is known in the art which is constructed in such a manner that the portion of a panel including a control means constitutes a controller detachably mounted on the panel. Such a controller mounting structure is disclosed in, for example, in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open Publication No. 138794/1988 and, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, adapted to control a body 218 of an equipment such as a vehicle mounted type electronic equipment by means of only a command fed from a remote control unit 220 constituting a part of a panel 222 arranged on the front portion of the equipment body 218.
The remote control unit 220 is provided on the front surface thereof with operation key means 224 and adapted to be removably received in a mounting port 226 formed at the panel 222. The remote control unit 220 received in the mounting port 226 is constantly forward forced through the rear surface 232 thereof by an urging member 228 provided with a spring 230 and arranged rearward of the unit 220. Also, the remote control unit 220 is formed on one of the side surfaces thereof with an engagement hole 234 and correspondingly the mounting port 226 is provided on one of the side surfaces thereof with a slidable or projectable engagement element 236. The engagement element 236 is constantly forced into the mounting port 226 by means of a spring 238, so that when the remote control unit 220 is received in the mounting port 226, the element 236 is engagedly fitted in the engagement hole 234 of the unit 220 to lock the remote control unit 220 in the panel 222. The engagement element 236 is tapered at the distal end thereof as indicated at reference numeral 240, to thereby facilitate the fitting of the element 236 in the engagement hole 234 of the remote control unit 220. The element 236 is slidly disengaged from the hole 234 by pushing a lock release button 242.
The remote control unit 220 is provided on the other side surface thereof with a connecting terminal 244 and correspondingly the mounting port 226 is provided on the other side surface thereof with a connecting terminal 246. The connecting terminals 244 and 246 are electrically connected together when the remote control unit 220 is received in the mounting port 226, resulting in charging of the remote control unit 220 through a battery, transmission of a signal from the remote control unit to the equipment body 218 and the like being carried out.
In the conventional controller mounting device or structure constructed as described above, the detachable controller constitutes the remote control unit 220, resulting in the operability of the equipment being improved. Also, the application of the device to a vehicle-mounted type electronic equipment effectively prevents the equipment from being stolen.
More particularly, if the remote control unit 220 is removed from the panel 222 for carrying when a user gets away from a vehicle, it is apparently externally recognized that the equipment is not kept normally operative, resulting in preventing the theft of the equipment. Also, the controller mounting structure is simplified in internal circuit construction as compared with the above-described prior art, to thereby reduce the manufacturing cost. Further, the remote control unit 220 is small-sized and reduced in weight as compared with the equipment body, as well as readily removed from the equipment body. Therefore, a user tends to remove the remote control unit 220 from the equipment body when getting away from the vehicle, to thereby effectively prevent the theft of the equipment.
Unfortunately, in the conventional controller mounting structure, it is required to arrange the urging member 228 for the remote control unit 220 and the engagement element 236 for locking in the panel 222, so that the panel 222 is highly complicated in construction. In particular, it is required to provide the panel 222 with a large space for arranging the urging member 228 because it includes the spring 230, so that the panel is increased in depth, to thereby fail to small-size the equipment.
Also, the mounting of the remote control unit 220 in the panel 222 causes static electricity to be charged on the unit 220, which is then transmitted to the internal circuit of the equipment body 218 through the connecting terminals 244 and 246, leading to damage to a control device contained in the body 218.
Further, when the mounting and detaching of the remote control unit 220 with respect to the panel 222 are repeated many times, there is increased a possibility that the connecting terminals 244 and 246 are damaged due to shock during the mounting operation. The damage of the connecting terminals renders not only the operation of the equipment body 218 by the remote control unit 220 impossible, but charging of the remote control unit 220 through the terminals from a power supply impossible.
Thus, the conventional controller mounting structure causes the equipment and terminals to be damaged due to static electricity and shock and the construction of the panel to be complicated to a degree sufficient to large-size the equipment and increase the manufacturing cost.